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One of the freshest aspects of the SAW franchise is that the films were an annual tradition. The films were intricately connected, feeling more like a serialized television show than a film franchise. But it was also that connection that eventually led to the downfall of the franchise – mired in its own continuity and bloodlust. It took seven years for a new sequel to be created. For a series that had most of its loose ends wrapped up so neatly, JIGSAW is a great entry point into the series for newcomers and a welcome return for fans of the series.

After a strong start, and a reinvention after killing its lead character, the SAW franchise has hit rock bottom. Billed as the final installment, SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER ends the series with a disappointing whimper. The film is more concerned with tying up the final remaining loose ends than it is in telling a compelling story.

SAW VI is the film that marks the decline of the SAW franchise. After five films that all build upon each other with compelling storylines, SAW VI is just derivative and exhausted. All forward momentum from the previous films just stalls out, and SAW VI makes it clear that the franchise can’t really escape the death of Jigsaw (Tobin Bell).

While the SAW sequels never truly reinvent themselves to escape the basic structure of a SAW film, SAW V is about as close as the film series has gotten to a total makeover. It’s incredibly compelling – and that’s thanks to a pacing that never lets up and due to the strength of the plot.

SAW IV is the point in the SAW franchise where the films become impossible to view without having seen the previous films. It makes for compelling storytelling, to tell a sequential story that builds upon the previous films, but it also runs the risk of alienating more casual viewers. SAW IV is certainly in a difficult position. The climax of SAW III sees Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) murdered, and SAW IV opens with his gruesome autopsy (shot with a brilliant use of color to make the red blood stand out).

SAW III represents a huge tonal shift for the SAW series. Whereas the first two films straddled the fine line between thriller and horror, SAW III abandons all pretense and fully embraces the horror genre. It’s intriguing how different SAW III feels from the previous films, even though it is a direct continuation from SAW II. The difference is that it has a gratuitous amount of blood and gore. In the first two films, the bloody results were rarely fully shown. Even the infamous scene where a man saws his foot off is surprisingly light on blood. Yet in SAW III, audiences are treated to scenes of brain surgery, limbs twisting until bones pop out, ribs being ripped out… and it all unfolds right before our eyes. It’s actually somewhat disappointing. The heavy use of gore somehow makes the film feel like it is catering to a lower denominator.

With the right execution, sequels can be a lot of fun to watch. Whether they raise the stakes or put familiar characters in unfamiliar situations, sequels can be extremely enjoyable. What makes SAW II such a great sequel is that it is integrally connected to the first SAW. It plays out like the second chapter to a book – so intertwined are the two films.

Despite its reputation, SAW isn’t much of a horror film. In fact, it’s essentially a thriller that masquerades in the trappings of a horror film. There’s very little gore to be found in SAW, and the elaborate traps that the franchise is known for only exist here in their infancy. Instead, SAW focuses its narrative on an intricate storyline that is woven with flashbacks to create a story that is completely compelling from start to finish.